Run
by MaryAgnosia
Summary: PRNS- "I've been running all my life, but back then no one cared enough to follow."
1. Chapter 1  Hunter

**Hunter**

The fresh air calms me. I've never been one who could sit closed up inside all day. I feel too claustrophobic; like everything and everyone is closing in around me and I have no way out.

I hear the waterfall in the distance, and my footsteps slow.

This is the first time I'll be going to Ninja Ops without Blake, and I have to tell you, I'm intimidated as hell.

The possibility of being a Ranger has always scared me. The only thing worse is belonging to a team.

Being a Power Ranger…I never had a choice about that. Sense Amano would mention it, and Blake and I would always brush it off. But when your home and everything you've ever known is under attack…you can't really say, "No, thanks, Sensei. I'd rather not."

I love the power. I love using that power for good.

But then I think about the isolation. I think about Kelly's face every time Dustin, Blake, and I run from Storm Chargers yelling some lame excuse behind us, and I wonder if the good deeds we do are worth the complete inability to have any kind of close relationship.

Not that I'm good in close relationships. Or even want them.

Power Ranger or not…when people search for companionship, when they give a part of themselves to someone else…they'll always feel the same way in the end. Or at least ninety-nine percent of the time.

Blake has always craved relationships. He's always wanted the connections I've shied away from. I couldn't deny him that. When I saw the way he looked at Tori, when I saw the way he joked with Dustin; how could any decent brother say no? Joining up with Tori, Shane, and Dustin was all for Blake's sake.

They're great people; they're great Rangers.

But everything will always end the same way.

I lower myself onto the ground by the spring, watching the ripples dance across the surface. Blake isn't with me today because he's visiting Mom and Dad.

I can't bring myself to go there.

Does that make me horrible?

I just can't stand to think about it. I've found my emotionless, relationship-less philosophy works. You don't feel anything anymore. You don't feel the pain.

A twig snaps, breaking me out of my thoughts. I whirl around, my heart beating forcefully against my ribs.

I slowly exhale when I see Tori standing there.

"Hey," she calls to me, waving.

I push myself off of the ground, waving back. "What's up?"

"Not a whole lot. What were you in such deep thought about?" she asks, smiling.

I smile back, and then bring my eyes away from her face. "Nothing. We should probably get in there before Cam has a fit," I suggest.

She laughs. "Yeah, you're probably right."

We head down the stairs together, but I quickly reestablish the boundaries once we're in Ops.

It's not that I have anything against her.

I just don't want to fall again.


	2. Chapter 2  Tori

**Tori**

"Hey Cam," I call as Hunter and I walk down the final steps into Ninja Ops. I've never liked Sensei's son much, but he's grown on me a little since we've spent so much time together.

"Hey," Cam answers absentmindedly. He goes back to tapping away at his keyboard.

I still find it hard to believe the last few weeks. Becoming a superhero out of a comic book, finding two lost souls bent on revenge…I glance over at the tall, mysterious blond beside me.

Even in a friendly environment, he stands with his arms crossed, his body stiff. His jaw is set in a hard line of defiance. His eyes are a brilliant shade of blue.

He senses me staring at him, and sends a small, friendly-yet-confused smile in my direction. His face suggests friendliness, but his eyes are impenetrable. What lies behind that cool façade? What's really inside Hunter Bradley?

I want to ask him, but I don't know how.

We stand in awkward silence for awhile before Hunter finally goes over to Cam's desk and watches over his shoulder as he upgrades the Tsunami Cycles. I sigh, sitting down on the low table in the middle of the room.

Hunter and Blake are both intimidating as hell. As friendly (and hot) as they are, they're not the open books that Dustin and Shane are. They're good at hiding things; they'd have to be, with a life like theirs. I don't ever know quite what they're feeling, or how they really feel towards us.

I find myself staring at Hunter again.

"Dudes!"

Dustin and Shane leap down the stairs, taking my attention away from Hunter to them. "Dude, Hunter!" Dustin calls in greeting, slapping a high five with Hunter. Hunter smiles and laughs at Dustin's enthusiasm. "Where's Blake?" Dustin asks, settling down on the table next to me.

Hunter fixes his eyes on the computer screen and his voice goes deadpan. "The Thunder Academy. He won't make it to training today."

"Cool. Dudes, we should all go to the track tomorrow."

I laugh. "No way, Dustin. I don't need you making fun of my riding skills again."

"C'mon Tor, it'll be fun!" Dustin protests.

"Yeah, Blake and I won't laugh at you. Promise," Hunter laughs.

His laugh is superficial; I wonder when was the last time he really, truly laughed. But for some reason, that light superficial laugh makes me want to do nothing more than go to the track tomorrow.

"All right, but Dustin's not coming anywhere near me," I laugh, making eye contact with Hunter.

He smiles, but turns around to look away from me.

And from then on, I was consumed by the enigma Hunter Bradley presented.


	3. Chapter 3 Blake

**Blake**

I glance at the clock, wondering when Hunter will be home. I almost feel like I shouldn't have left him today; as much as he hates to be close to people, when he's alone, he spirals down into endless misery. It's hard to watch as he falls apart, and I know I can't do anything to help him.

I wish I could convince him to go with me to the Thunder Academy. If he finally accepted the reality and learned to face the pain rather than push it down, maybe he'd really smile again.

Sometimes I'd rather not subject myself to the pain, but someone's got to take care of their graves. Hunter hasn't been there since the funeral. Our parents are buried at the Thunder Academy, but separated and secluded from where students normally go. As easy as it would be for him to just stop by every once in awhile, he never has.

My big brother isn't nearly as invincible as he comes across.

I feel like that's the only reason he likes being a Ranger. For once, he can be the invincible hero he's always wanted to be. But, really, he's just a vulnerable as everyone else.

I glance away from the clock to the flickering light of the television. I wonder how things went at Ops. The brooding Bradley with the all-fun-and-games Wind Rangers. The few days we've been part of the team have been the best in awhile…at least for me. The Winds are naturally happy people, and they provide some sun in a world that's been all too dark for Hunter and me. But he's never been great with people. And I can tell Shane and Hunter are going to bounce off of each other like crazy. I want to be there for the day they finally bitch each other out.

I hear the key slipping into the lock, and the door to the apartment creaks open. "Hey Blake," I hear Hunter call.

I turn around to look at him. Something's wrong. Hunter sounded…happy?

"Hey," I say, cautiously, searching his eyes for a legitimate good mood.

"What's up?" He asks, flinging his backpack on the floor and grabbing a soda. He flops down on the couch next to me.

"Not much. How was Ops?"

His lips curve up into a half smile. "Not too bad, actually."

I laugh, because that's such a Hunter answer. "Survived the Wind Weasels?" I joke.

He takes a drink from his soda, then leans back on the couch. "Barely."

I think back to his upbeat answer and his half smile. He's full of shit.

"Oh, yeah, Dustin wants us all to go to the track tomorrow to hang out," Hunter says.

"You going?" I ask him.

"Are you?"

I shake my head. "I want to clean up the Academy a little bit. It's a hell hole there."

"Oh," he says, his face falling a little bit. "Well I should go with you and help then."

I shake my head vigorously. "No, no, no. Go to the track. You need a break."

"From what?" he asks, incredulous.

"From taking care of me for the past ten years," I laugh. "Go to the track. Have fun."

For the first time in a long time, I feel like it might actually be possible for him to have fun. Something about the Wind Rangers is lifting him up out of the misery he's always been stuck in. And there's no way I'm about to take that away from him.


	4. Chapter 4 Hunter

**Hunter**

I wake up in a cold sweat, my sheets tangled around my legs. _Another nightmare_.

I sigh, rubbing my face tiredly with my hands, wondering how much time I have left to fall back asleep before work in the morning. I glance out the window, and see that there is a dull light, signifying that there will be no more sleeping for me today.

Still…it's too early to go to work.

There is almost nothing I hate more than free time. As soon as my mind is not actively engaged in something, the memories and the pain slip back in. I've barely had a nightmare-free sleep since Mom and Dad died.

I reach under my pillow and pull out a velvet drawstring bag. I shake the bag's contents out into the palm of my hand.

I told myself I kept two pieces of the Gem of Souls to contact my parents. I had seen them in the Cavern of Souls, and sometimes I just needed…wanted to see them.

But there is a dark part of me that might have kept the Gem for a different reason.

I once temporarily destroyed Lothor with it. A much larger part of me than I'd like to admit was enthusiastic at the thought of complete revenge.

I stuff the Gem and the bag back under my pillow, and I swing my legs up over the side of the bed, deciding to go for a run. My strategy? To exhaust myself to the point where I don't have the energy to think anymore.

I exit the duplex and start jogging at a steady pace, but even with the bass of my iPod drumming in my ears, I can't seem to forget. Over and over in my mind, the bass beat says, "They're gone. You're fault. They're gone. You're fault."

If that weren't bad enough, I'd spent most of the last two months working for the very man who had killed my parents. Petty revenge had almost killed an innocent man. My own insecurities and weak mind made me attack my allies and even my own brother.

_Your parents would be so proud, Hunter_. _Using your ninja powers against your own brother. Letting a lie erase all sense of loyalty and logic. Great going._

I speed up, sprinting down the roads in the pre-dawn light, pushing myself to my absolute limit. My lungs burn with each intake of air, but it is better than the burn in my heart.

My feet pound against the asphalt before finally my feet hit the sand dunes and the waves are crashing in front of me. I stop at the water's edge, bending over and leaning on my knees, I take deep, haggard breaths.

"Hunter?"

I whirl around, my heart jumping into my throat, my body tensed and ready for a fight. I come face to face with a wet and disheveled Tori. "Tori?" I sputter, unable to contain my shock.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. "I thought I was the only one crazy enough to get up this early and go to the beach," she added, a smile crossing her features.

My breathing still ragged, I answer, "I needed to go for a run."

Tori places her surfboard on the beach and sits down on the sand at my feet. "Needed to?" she asks, looking up into my eyes.

I curse my careless word choice and for letting my guard down. Tori had seen me at my most vulnerable, and unlike the others who have passed in and out of my life, she had noticed. "Couldn't sleep," I clarified. I feel uncomfortable here. I awkwardly stand next to her sitting form, knowing that she wants me to sit with her and confide in her, knowing that I can't do that.

I watch Tori take a deep breath of the sea air and exhale slowly. I awkwardly shift my weight from one foot to the other. Was that a signal? Was she angry with me? Annoyed? I don't understand social signals- and certainly not _female_ social signals.

I debate starting a pointless "small-talk" conversation, but I know that would be only slightly less painful than a heart-to-heart. Screw it; I'm obviously not making any progress in the social world today.

"I have to head off to work, but I'll see you later at the track, ok Tori?" I say, smiling as believably as I can. "See ya!"

"See you, Hunter," she responds, and I can feel her staring at my retreating form as I sprint away from her.


	5. Chapter 5 Tori

**Tori**

I walk through the door to Storm Chargers, still irritated by my encounter with Hunter earlier in the morning.

The guy is a Power Ranger. He's a brilliant ninja. And yet he's terrified of a simple conversation.

Terrified of something else that makes him go running at the crack of dawn.

And then, he won't even talk about it.

I have never been one to suffer in silence- but then again, I've never really had a problem finding people to support me.

_Whatever_. I have to stop thinking about this guy before I raise my blood pressure.

"Hey Tori!" I look up and see Blake smiling and waving at me.

I feel butterflies in my stomach. "Hey, Blake," I reply, shyly waving at him. "What's up?"

He comes over, shoving his hands in his back pockets. "Just finishing up my shift. I hear you're going to the track later," he said, a smirk crossing his face.

I can't help but smile back. "Yeah, I'll be there. How about yourself?"

"Nah, I got some errands to run," he says, and my hopes fell. The only plus-side of this is that he won't see my riding skills, or lack thereof. "But I'll definitely come next time."

Ah, so he'll figure it out soon enough.

My eyes focus on movement behind Blake, and I watch Hunter drop a heavy-looking cardboard box on the front counter, muttering something to Dustin.

Blake follows my glance and he waves at Hunter. "Hey bro, you ready to go?"

Hunter looks over at Blake, and I can almost see the change in his composure when he sees me standing there with Blake. _How hard must it be to keep that mask up in front of everyone_?

"Uh, I'm actually working a few extra hours until it's time to meet at the track. You can just take the car home…."

"No, that's ok! I can drive you, Blake!" I chime in, smiling brightly.

"Really? Sweet!" Blake responds, turning back to face me. "Thanks, man."

Blake doesn't notice my face fall, but I can tell from Hunter's smirk that he did. "Great…man," I grit out, turning around before Hunter or Blake could notice the heat rushing to my face.

I had always had more guy friends because I could be "one of the guys". But sometimes, that ability to be "one of the guys" really sucked. Like when one of those "guys" was incredibly hot.

_Oh well_, I sigh, heading out to my car.

"Thanks so much for the ride, Tor," Blake says again as we get into the car. "Hunter's like a workaholic sometimes."

"No problem," I say smiling. The last thing I want to do is spend this quality time with Blake talking about his enigmatic, brooding brother.

"He hates down-time," Blake continues. "That's why he got into motocross. It got to the point where Sensei Amano would stop him from training, cause he was just going to exhaust himself to death. So of course, Hunter picks up this crazy dangerous hobby and then gets his little brother in on it too," Blake laughs, his eyes far in the past, remembering some fond time long gone.

"What's the age difference there?" I ask, curious, with a teasing smile on my face.

"Only a year," he smirks back at me. "Think I was that little?" he laughed.

"No, other way around," I shoot back.

His smile dampens a little bit. "Yeah, Hunter had to grow up fast. Well, we both did. But Hunter really never got to be a kid," he explains, looking down at his hands.

The difference between the two is astounding. In the past two minutes, Blake has opened up to me voluntarily in a way I could never see Hunter doing under torture.

"So what errands have you got to run?" I ask him, wanting desperately to get off the topic of Hunter and their tragic past.

"Just some stuff at the Thunder Academy," he answers vaguely. "Believe me, I'd rather be at the track with you guys, but someone's got to deal with stuff there."

"Why not Hunter?" I ask, wincing internally at the harsh undertone of my statement. Ok, I don't loathe the guy or anything, but I feel like my relationship with Blake can _grow_, as opposed to stagnate like I can tell my relationship with Hunter already has.

Blake laughs. "If you can convince Hunter to ever go back there, be my guest."

I almost ask him to elaborate, but at that moment Blake points out the Bradley duplex.

"Thanks again, Tor. You're a lifesaver," he says.

"Hardly," I answer, smiling, knowing I'm blushing. "Anytime," I say. I look up into his eyes and he's looking right at me. The intensity of his stare leaves me speechless. "Really, anytime," I manage to stutter out.

He sends that crooked-Blake smile at me, and my stomach fills with butterflies. "See ya, Tor. Kick my brother's ass on the track, ok?"

I'm too busy smiling like an idiot to respond.

I'm getting outfitted in my motocross gear when a dark gray pick-up truck pulls up on the hill next to Dustin's van. I can see the number 11 on the bike in the back, and know that it's Hunter.

"Hey," I call out to him as he exits the truck.

"Hey Tori," he calls, smiling.

I narrow my eyes at him as he turns around to lift his bike out of the truck bed. It's like he's trying to throw me off or something, and it irritates me.

"So why won't you go back to the Thunder Academy?" I ask him. I expected a reaction- I didn't expect him to drop his bike on himself.

"Need some help with that, dude?" Shane's voice rings out from the side, mocking the brooding Thunder Ranger.

Oh great, let the testosterone battle begin.

"No thanks, _dude_. Got it," Hunter snaps back, pulling his bike up.

Dustin comes around the side of his van, pushing an older, crappier bike towards me.

"Please don't tell me that's for me," I say to him, grimacing at the bike.

"Hey, last time you were on a bike- _my_ bike, by the way- you mangled it. No way am I going to let you borrow one of Kelly's nice bikes," Dustin says defensively.

Hunter and Shane both smirk. "Would one of you like to get on a surfboard?" I ask them, my voice cold.

Shane sends Hunter a look that says, "Don't bug her anymore."

Satisfied, I turn back to getting on my gloves and protective gear.


	6. Chapter 6 Blake

**A/N: **Sorry this chapter is a little short- it's kind of filler, and gives Blake and the Blake/Tori relationship at this point a little more development and explanation. As the story moves on, the chapters will get longer!

**Blake**

I wipe the sweat from my forehead, breathing deeply shove the last of the debris into the growing pile. I hadn't planned my "clean-up" plan very well- there was really no way to clean up the wreckage of a building.

I glance up at the sky, guessing that it was probably getting close to dinner time. I was more than ready to head back to civilization. And besides, it drove me crazy that I had missed out on a great opportunity with Tori.

Tori is beautiful. Hunter will accuse me of being one of those "romantic" guys who gets swept away by a girl and becomes a total idiot over her, but I'm guessing that's more because he never lets himself get carried away by any feeling at all. I admit, I've had a lot of silly crushes over the years, including our foster-sister, LeAnn, but Tori…I don't know, I feel like she's different.

Because of our upbringing in the Thunder Ninja Academy, Hunter and I didn't really know anyone outside of the ninja world, and hardly knew anyone who wasn't also a Thunder Ninja. We were always with LeAnn, but we were the only students who lived at the Academy, and it's never easy to make friends when you're the Sensei's kids. Especially when everyone also knew your parents had been murdered. Girls would be with you cause they felt bad for you, because they thought it gave them some special status, or because they wanted better marks and thought dating the Sensei's son was the way to do this. Hunter and I had both been used and abused by girls throughout the years, and I think it finally hardened Hunter into the untouchable, aloof, brooding guy he is today. Of course, this only makes him more attractive to a certain kind of girl, much to his dismay.

Tori has never wanted anything or ask for anything from me. She was my friend, saved my life multiple times, and gave me back my life, all while knowing almost nothing about me, and hasn't acted any differently towards me since finding out the truth. She's beautiful, she's fun, and she's there.

But of course, I'm sure she's not interested in me. And I wonder about her relationship with Shane and Dustin, and even Cam. There has to be history there, at least with one of them.

And she's spending all day with them, and my brother, while I clean up the Thunder Academy.

I smack my head with the palm of my hand. I really need to stop acting against my own best interest.

As if on cue, my cell phone rings and I see Tori's number flashing. "Hello?"

"Hey, Blake!" I feel butterflies fill my stomach.

"Hey Tor, what's up, man?"

There's a beat of hesitation on her line, and I immediately analyze every word, trying to figure out what I could have possibly said to irritate her. Was it that I called her Tor? I thought of it as an affection nickname, but maybe she was offended by it? I'm about ready to go into full panic mode when she starts speaking again.

"So we're actually heading back to Storm Chargers and then going out to get some dinner. You in?"

"Sure, I can meet you at Storm Chargers. Why are you going back there?"

She hesitates again, and I'm about to lose my mind.

"I…might have hit Hunter's bike."

My mind draws a blank. "What?"

"I lost control and rammed your brother's bike, so we have to drop it off so Hunter can come back later and fix it," she mumbles, obviously embarrassed.

I can't even picture Hunter's expression when that had happened. He had had such a good time with them the other day, but I wondered if maybe his patience was through. Hunter loves his bike like most people love a woman.

I resist the urge to laugh or even tease her, knowing that she's already uncomfortable with the situation. Hunter tends to have that affect on people.

"He didn't get mad at you did he?" I ask suddenly, worried about Hunter's temper. Hunter had his misgivings about the Wind Academy and Wind Ninjas in general. In fact, he had never been totally supportive of joining the Ranger team. I was worried that frustration had boiled over when Tori hit his bike.

"Oh, no, not at all. Though he totally should have, I feel awful. But he's been really calm about it," she answers, her tone conveying the same confused feeling I now had.

"That's good," I respond, absently. "Well I'm going to head on over to Storm Chargers to meet you guys, ok? See you soon!" I disconnect, and then worry that maybe I should've said a more intimate goodbye.

Blake Bradley: Obviously-Not a Ladies Man.

I decide that it's best for my sanity to just stop thinking about it and head to Storm Chargers. I walk a few feet over and step over a fallen willow tree, avoiding the long tendril-like branches and the piles of dead leaves. I pick up the flowers I had brought with me and left on the tree's trunk, and lay one arrangement at the foot of each stone.

"Bye, Mom and Dad. Love you."

I step away, the pain a dull feeling in my chest, and Ninja Streak away.


	7. Chapter 7 ToriHunter

_Author's Note: _I know that it has been forever since I updated this- a lot of things came up, and hopefully I haven't lost all of the readers who were so kind to review the first six chapters. I tried to make this one a little longer, and I'm hoping to keep having the time to continue this story.

_MaryAgnosia_

**Tori**

I curse myself for the eight millionth time as Shane and I pull up to Storm Chargers and I see Dustin and Hunter unloading Hunter's battered bike from the back of the pickup truck. _I'm such an idiot_.

Shane whistles beside me. "Man, Tor, you really did a number on that bike. You should be glad he didn't go all psycho ninja on you," he adds.

I shoot a withering look at him before looking back at the bike. _Yeah, this will win points with Blake_.

"Hunter!"

I see Blake coming over from behind Storm Chargers, running over to his brother. I sigh, knowing I have to come out of my van eventually, but knowing I'd rather die.

_Oh well._

I step out of the van, closing the door behind me. Blake turns at the sound of the door, but I'm sure I'm imagining his face lighting up. "Hey Tor-Tori!"

I see Hunter shoot him a look before he turns back to his bike, wheeling it into Storm Chargers without even a backwards glance. Ok, maybe Mr. Dark and Brooding is angrier than I thought.

"How was your day?" I ask Blake as I come up beside him.

"Eh, uneventful," he says, shooting me a smile. "I'm almost afraid to ask how yours was," he adds, smirking.

"Oh man, she COMPLETELY lost control of her bike and slammed right into Hunter. Took out his back tire. It was **nasty**!" Dustin says, unnecessarily.

"It wasn't my fault!" I say defensively. I am going to **kill** Dustin.

"It wasn't," a voice behind me agrees, and I whirl around to see Hunter walking out of Storm Chargers with the damaged tire from his bike. He tosses it into the back of his truck, then dusts off his hands. "She hit a patch of mud, and I wasn't watching where I was going," he adds in clarification, shooting a look at me.

"Oh man that tire is wrecked," Blake adds, running his hands through his hair.

Hunter shrugs it off, looking down at the floor.

I knew there hadn't been a wet patch of dirt on that track. Was Hunter sticking up for me?

"Should we get some dinner?" Shane asks, looking at his watch.

"Yes! I'm starving," Dustin exclaims, hopping into my van.

Blake looks back at Hunter, almost as if asking him a question.

Hunter shakes his head. "I'm going to stay here and work on my bike."

_Oh, great_. "Hunter, I am so sorry…," I start.

Hunter cuts me off with a crooked smile. "Nothing to apologize for, Tori. You guys have fun." He turns around and walks back towards Ninja Ops, his shoulders slumping in what looks like exhaustion.

What is up with this guy?

I don't realize I'm still staring after Hunter until Blake waves a hand in front of my face. "Tori? Dinner?"

I shake the thoughts from my head. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go!" I say, smiling. Time to enjoy some quality time with Blake.

"You sure you don't just want me to take you home?" I ask Blake again, turning to him. I had driven Shane and Dustin home already, and was now driving Blake back to Storm Chargers at his insistence.

I have to admit, I mostly just didn't want to have to face Hunter again.

"Yeah, I want to check up on Hunter," he says, drumming his fingers along to the song on the radio. I can't make heads or tails out of what the rapper is saying, but Blake seems to be enjoying it. I've never been a fan of rap music myself.

I pull up outside of Storm Chargers, turning the key in the ignition.

"Thank you so much, Tori. You want to hang out for awhile?" he asks, hopefully.

Spend time with Blake? Hell yes.

I look out the windshield and see that Hunter's pickup is still here. Spend time with Hunter? Hell no.

I bite my lip, unsure.

_What the hell_. "Sure!" At least I can spend some time with Blake.

"Awesome!" Blake says. "I need to run around back and check on something, but you should go on in. See if you can find Mr. Antisocial," he jokes, hopping out of the van and closing the door behind him before heading off.

I sigh and bite my lip as he leaves. _He is so gosh-darn attractive_.

I sigh again, this time in resignation. Time to go face "Mr. Antisocial." I slowly get out of the truck, hoping that Blake will come back and escort me in before I have to find something to talk about with Hunter.

With Blake, I can talk about his favorite music, his favorite pastimes, his preschool best friend. With Hunter, all I can think of to ask are things that are much more serious, much more personal, and much less likely to be answered.

I open up the door to Storm Chargers slowly, so that the bell that normally jingles loudly each time someone enters or leaves the store barely twinkle with my arrival. Let's not alert Hunter to my presence.

I weave my way around the racks of sports gear and apparel. I can see Hunter's bike set up behind the repair counter, but it still looks unfinished. I wonder how long it will take to fix, and instantly feel guilty all over again. I feel the heat rush to my face, and I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the guilt.

Flustered, I run my fingers through my hair and walk around to the side room to relax on the couches and watch some TV while I wait for Blake.

I round the corner and come face-to-face with Hunter.

At first, he didn't see me. His hand was in front of his mouth. His eyes were red and swollen. His other hand clenched the fabric of his jeans so hard that his knuckles were white.

And then he saw me, and in an instant, the mask was up.

**Hunter**

_30 Minutes Earlier_

I wipe the sweat from my forehead with my forearm, looking up from my work and wiping my hands on the rag by my side. I've been toying with my bike for hours, but that says nothing about the degree of the damage; it has a lot more to do with me dragging out the work so there is less time to think.

Even with the gears, wrenches, grease, and mechanical parts, I can't forget about the pain for long. As I breathe deeply and relax my tense muscles, the sadness and the pain force their way back in.

When does it go away? When am I not going to feel the guilt? The loss?

Will it stop when I kill Lothor? Will that be the closure I so desperately need? Or will this never end?

I toss my wrench across the room in frustration, throwing the towel in the opposite direction. I give up. I just…give up.

I go over to the side room and plop down on the red couches, staring up at the black screen of the television. Maybe I should have gone to dinner with Blake and the Wind Rangers. Maybe that would have been a distraction. Maybe that would have been what I needed to make it through the night without thinking about my parents.

But…I didn't have the energy to keep up the front anymore. I didn't have the energy to keep smiling.

I really wasn't mad about the bike. It's not like I had better things to do, or that I didn't know how to fix it. It wouldn't cost me much, seeing as I worked at a shop where the things were either available to me for free or at a discount.

Blake would tell you that I stood up for Tori because of my "hero complex." But there's Blake for you; he's all into this psychological crap.

I admit it, I do have this need to help the damsel in distress. It was that way in school, and at the Thunder Academy. Girls would have silly little problems or look upset, and I would be the shoulder to cry on, the guy who beat the crap out of whoever was bothering them. Gradually, the relationship would change from hero to boyfriend. Then they would realize I wasn't all that great when they didn't have problems for me to solve, and they would find someone else.

Often times, my brother.

I never held it against him- after all, he was more likable. It's not like he solicited their attention. They gave it freely, and he accepted.

If I have a hero complex, then Blake has a compulsive need for attention. If I held any stock in psychology, I would say that this stems from me feeling helpless to save my parents, and Blake growing up without parents and an older brother who was always a little emotionally unavailable.

But again, I put little to no faith in psychology.

Really, though, Tori isn't a "damsel in distress." Ok, so she was having an awkward chat with my brother (and who REALLY can't tell that they have the hots for each other? Besides them of course), but she is hardly helpless.

And I know I have to keep the mask on around her, and I have to try as hard as possible to make sure that nothing slips.

But the mask…it's so exhausting. It wears me out, physically and mentally. It gets to the point where keeping myself from feeling is just too hard to keep up. And I know that that is the real reason that I did not go to dinner tonight. Because when it so essential to make sure no one sees how vulnerable I am, I knew I didn't have the strength to seem aloof and untouchable.

Here, in Storm Chargers, at 9:00 at night, though, I can feel. I can let go, and I can let myself feel the loss, and the pain, and the sadness. I can _feel_. I can drown in the feelings that I shove away day to day. And it feels so freeing that I don't even hear her coming.

My full eyes flicker over to the movement I see in my peripheral vision, and my heart skips a beat when I see Tori standing there. Immediately I force the mask back on. I look down, to blink away the uncried tears before she sees them. I relax my muscles so I seem nonchalant. Anything, anything at all, to throw her off.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, finally feeling comfortable looking up at her. I can pass this off as anything. She doesn't need to know about the pain. She doesn't need to know.

"Blake wanted me to drop him off here. Thought we could hang out for awhile," she explains, looking at me skeptically, but answering quietly, like she's afraid to startle me.

_Damnit_. I'm obviously not passing myself off as normal right now. So I stand up and walk back to my bike. "The bike's fixing up nice," I tell her, hoping that will put her at ease.

She lets out a laugh that sounds nervous, bordering on hysterical. "That's good," she says, following me over, leaning on the other side of the counter.

Well at least she was relaxing. Mission accomplished.

"Are you ok?" she asks suddenly, scrutinizing my face. I look up; but while I see curiosity, I also can see the concern in her eyes, and my mask…it crumbles just a little.

I want someone who I can share things with. I want someone who can see me without the mask and not judge me, or lose faith in me. Even around Blake…he knows there is sadness, but he doesn't know how deep it goes. He doesn't know I blame myself for our parents' deaths, and he doesn't know that I will never forgive myself for making him grow up without a mother to kiss him goodnight, and a dad to throw a football with in the backyard.

And for once, I just have the strongest desire to let someone else in.

"Yo!" Blake yells, coming into the store, the bells above the door jingling.

And sense returns to me, and I realize that I am in this alone, regardless of her concern or my weakness. "Yep, I'm great," I tell her, plastering my practiced smile on my face.


	8. Chapter 8 Blake

_Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews and for all of the people who have stuck with me on this story so far! I really appreciate it- it gives me the motivation to keep writing!_

_We get a little further into the Blake and Hunter pre-PRNS mystery in this chapter. As this DOES take place in the middle of Ninja Storm, I plan to eventually get some monster/Lothor stuff happening, but for now some more character development._

_MaryAgnosia_

**Blake**

_Simultaneously_

I see Hunter smiling at Tori and I go into full-jealous-crazy-person mode. Hunter's no more of a lady's man than I am, but he's a) older, b) taller, c) nowhere close to being as scrawny as his little brother.

Normally, I wouldn't care. After all, it's not like I had never stolen one of his love interests or girlfriends.

But I'm telling you; Tori is different.

She whirls around to face me, and with her smile directed at me and not my "mysterious" older brother, I feel a little better.

Hunter looks relieved to have Tori distracted, and turns his back to us and his attention back to his bike.

I flop down on the couch, turning the TV on to an action sports channel. Tori joins me, but sits farther away than I was hoping. Though, with Hunter here, that's probably for the best.

"So how was dinner?" Hunter asks from the repair room.

"Good," I tell him. "You should've come with us. Have you even eaten yet?"

"I'm almost done with the bike," he says, without responding to either of my statements. I sigh and shake my head. Tori shares a look with me and laughs. I can't help but smile back.

Do I really, for once in my life, have a chance with someone this great? Someone this beautiful, this kind, this smart, this talented? I find it so hard to believe I'm this lucky.

"Do you maybe want to go to the track tomorrow?" I ask, hopefully.

"Oh…um, I don't know I kind of already killed Hunter's bike I'm not sure I want to go for a repeat," she says, trying to laugh it off, but I see the heat rush to her face. "But if Dustin and Shane want to go then I'm up for it," she adds. "I might just not ride with you guys."

_Well, damn._ She completely missed my meaning. There's no point in going to the track if Tori isn't even going to be involved in it. And with three other guys there, there's no reason I'd stand out to her. Maybe I'm not so lucky after all.

"Oh, well…you know, I gotta check the work schedule anyways. Maybe we should just postpone it," I answer nonchalantly, trying not to sound like I care.

For the first time I see Tori stuttering over her words. "I-I mean maybe I can ride…I don't want to mess up your plans," she mumbles.

Hunter's voice rings out from the side. "I think Dustin wanted me to help him practice on a 250 tomorrow and Shane's got something planned with his skater buddies. You guys should do something else together."

I look over and see him smirking at me. I cast him a withering look, but I can't help but silently thank him for setting up that idea. Seeing as when I suggest plans it automatically becomes a group outing.

"Oh, sure if you want to, Blake," Tori agrees. "Want to grab lunch or something?"

"Yeah, sure!" I glance over at Hunter and see him shaking his head and looking like he's holding back laughter. His ability to see right through me is really, REALLY irritating.

It's not like he's so suave with the ladies anyways. I think the last time he had a date was the end of the Ice Age.

I see Hunter put his headphones in and turn away from us to finish working on his bike. Subtly giving us privacy, I suppose. Though he's still there- chaperoning. He's such an older brother sometimes.

I scoot closer to Tori on the couch as she changes the channel to some comedy show. We both laugh along to the show, sharing glances and almost brushing fingers a couple of times. I might actually be lucky enough to get this girl.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances I grew up with, I actually consider myself to be pretty lucky. I was young when Mom and Dad died; but old enough to remember them, and to understand they weren't coming back. At eleven years old, it was definitely a hard time in my life. At the time, Hunter and I had been attending public school in the area, and going to ninja classes after school. After the mysterious circumstances of our parents' deaths and our new guardian took us in, we left public school, all the while under the microscope of a dozen administrators waiting for one of us to snap and fellow classmates who either pitied us or made fun of us.

The normal life we had up until that point ended rather abruptly. We had a lot of older people at the Academy come up to us and talk to us about our dead parents; people we didn't know. At the end of that whirlwind year, I was just confused and lost. Hunter was angry. His anger led him on rampage after rampage, trying to rid himself of something, trying to free himself from the bullshit and the pain and the misery. Hunter…well, he was angry for a long time.

Hunter was there when it happened. I had stayed afterschool for some extracurricular activity; funny how I can't seem to remember what it was. So much of that day is seared in my memory.

He had been at home. Come into the room to see our parents at the mercy of some evil monster. Had watched as some man had struck down both our parents. Before the costumes and the entourage, Lothor had looked like a normal person. Unrecognizable as the man we met on Lothor's ship the day our Academy was captured.

We had both been powerless to stop the murder. And for awhile, all I could ask was "why me?"

But I wasn't forced into the foster system. I got to stay with my brother. Raised by someone we trusted. Sensei Amano was the guardian we needed after losing everything. Hunter took care of me as best as he knew how. He made sure there were birthdays and Christmases. I was lucky enough to lose my parents and still have a support system of people I knew and loved to take care of me. Not many people can say that.

Seven years later, Hunter and I are still closer than most siblings ever hope to be. I've found new friends who care about me. I have the ability to save lives and fight evil. I can make sure that no more 12 year old boys have to see their parents murdered.

I don't realize that I've spaced out so much until I feel Tori's hand rest on mine. "Are you ok?" she whispers to me.

I smile, wrapping my fingers around hers. "Yeah, I'm great," I say, smiling contentedly as I settle into the couch.


End file.
